News from NZ Police
A Levin man has been charged with receiving stolen property after Police recovered approximately $34,000 worth of stolen tools and a stolen trailer worth $11,000.

The stolen property was recovered following the execution of two search warrants on 5 April – one at a residential property and one at a workshop.

Police have so far identified 15 victims and reunited them with their stolen items.

“The fact that we have been able to so quickly identify who the tools belong to and return them to their owners is a great result,” says Detective Sergeant Karen Heald, Levin Police.

“And it’s purely down to the fact that the owners had engraved or marked their tools in such a way that we could easily identify who they belonged to.”

“We would encourage all builders to follow their example.”

The following advice will reduce the risk of offenders targeting your tools and increase the prospect of having your property returned if we find it:

• Engrave your tools with your driver licence number.
• Keep a record of the serial numbers.
• If you work on a construction site, be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to Police.
• Take your tools home with you, or lock them up in a shed on site.
• For construction companies that own tools, we would support the engraving of company names and phone numbers on to tools.
• Second hand dealers and the public should be wary of tools being offered to them at a price that’s too good to be true.

The 36-year-old man charged with receiving stolen property will next appear in Levin District Court on 26 April.

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